Garment for insulin pump users

ABSTRACT

A garment adapted for use by insulin pump users, for example, infants, juveniles or geriatric users, that includes an upper body garment having an outer face, an inner face and front side and a back side for covering the front and back torso of the wearer. A pouch is preferably provided on the inner face of the back side of the garment and is positioned in the garment to reside along the spine of a wearer between about the T3 and T7 locations on the vertebral column out of sight and reach of the wearer. A top opening in the pouch is provided for receiving an appropriately-sized insulin pump, and complementary fastener elements are positioned on opposite sides of the top opening for closing the top of the pouch to retain the insulin pump. The fastener elements, when the pouch is closed, are positioned to leave a sufficient space in the top opening for a pump tubing system and a subcutaneous insertion set to extend outwardly from the pouch for being applied to the body of the wearer.

TECHNICAL FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This application relates to a garment intended to be worn by insulinpump users. The principal disclosure of this application relates togarments for infant and juvenile insulin pump users, but the scope ofthe application relates to garments for use by any insulin pump user,including infant, juvenile, adolescent, adult and geriatric users.

An insulin pump is a medical device used for the administration ofinsulin in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, or Type 1 diabetes. Theprocess is also known as continuous subcutaneous insulin infusiontherapy. The insulin pump device includes the pump itself (includingcontrols, processing module, and batteries); a disposable reservoir forinsulin (inside the pump); a disposable infusion set, including acannula for subcutaneous insertion and a tubing system to interface theinsulin reservoir to the cannula or insertion set.

The insulin pump is an alternative to multiple daily injections ofinsulin by insulin syringe or an insulin pen and allows for intensiveinsulin therapy when used in conjunction with blood glucose monitoring.

The insulin pump delivers a single type of fast-acting insulin in twoways: a bolus dose that is pumped to cover food eaten or to correct ahigh blood glucose level or a basal dose that is pumped continuously atan adjustable basal rate to deliver insulin needed between meals and atnight. Insulin pumps are generally about the same size and weight asmost modern cell phones or PDA's.

Insulin pumps are particularly desirable in treating infant and juvenilediabetics because periodic sticks and hypodermic injections, which canbe traumatic, are unnecessary. Instead, a disposable infusion set andtubing is used to inject the insulin. However, infants and juveniles aresometimes prone to disturb the placement of the infusion set, or torandomly play with the pump, which can cause alteration of the pumpsettings, which must be very carefully and precisely set to administerthe correct dose at the correct intervals. These same problems, ofcourse, are possible with other age groups, particularly geriatric usersor users with dementia.

At present, pumps are placed in exterior garment pockets or in smallcases that are worn with a belt or in some other similar fashion, andare often unsatisfactory solutions to the problem of infants andjuveniles inadvertently tampering with the pump.

Therefore, there exists a need for a garment that efficiently and safelyplaces an insulin pump out of sight and out of reach of the user,including but not limited to, infants and juveniles.

There also exists a need for garments that are inexpensive,unobtrusively utilitarian, and adaptable for use with or without theinsulin pump.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a garment thatpermits an insulin pump to be worn by a user, for example, an infant orjuvenile in such a manner as to have it out of sight and out of reach.

These and other aspects of the invention are achieved by providing agarment adapted for use by insulin pump users that includes an upperbody garment having an outer face, an inner face and front side and aback side for covering the front and back torso of the wearer. A pouchis provided on the inner face of the back side of the garment and ispositioned in the garment to reside along the spine of a wearer betweenabout the T3 and T7 locations on the vertebral column out of sight andreach of the wearer. A top opening in the pouch is provided forreceiving an appropriately-sized insulin pump, and complementaryfastener elements are positioned on opposite sides of the top openingfor closing the top of the pouch to retain the insulin pump. Thefastener elements, when the pouch is closed, are positioned to leave asufficient space in the top opening for a pump tubing system and asubcutaneous insertion set to extend outwardly from the pouch for beingapplied to the body of the wearer.

According to another aspect of the invention, the fastener elementscomprise touch fasteners.

According to another aspect of the invention, the pouch is formed byapplying a patch to the inner face of the garment and attaching thepatch to the garment on a bottom end and adjacent sides thereof.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, the garment comprisesan undershirt.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, the pouch is formed byknitting the pouch into the inner face of the back side of the garment.

According to yet another aspect of the invention, the pouch is fourinches (11 cm) wide and 5 inches (13 cm) long.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some of the objects of the invention have been set forth above. Otherobjects and advantages of the invention will appear as the descriptionof the invention proceeds when taken in conjunction with the followingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a tee shirt having an insulin pouch accordingto one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the collar area of the garment;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the insulin pump in thepouch;

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the shirt shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an environmental view showing a shirt according to oneembodiment of the invention being worn by an insulin pump user;

FIG. 6 is a front view of a tee shirt having an insulin pouch accordingto another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the collar area of the garment shown inFIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS AND BEST MODE

Referring now specifically to the drawings, by way of example only, agarment for an infant or juvenile insulin pump user according to oneaspect of the present invention is shown generally in FIG. 1 atreference numeral 10. In this particular embodiment the garment 10 is atee shirt, but other garments, such as outerwear shirts, dresses andother upper torso undergarments are also adaptable to the invention. Thegarment 10 includes a front side 11 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 3), a back side 12(FIGS. 4 and 5), each having an outer face and an inner face. As shown,garment 10 includes a neck opening 13.

As is shown in FIG. 1, a pouch 20 resides below the neck opening 13 ofthe garment 10 and in the preferred embodiment comprises a patch offabric that is stitched on a bottom and two sides to the inner face ofthe back side 12 of the garment 10. The remaining top side 22 forms anopening through which an insulin pump “P” is inserted into the pouch 20,as shown in FIG. 1, and removed when needed. To retain the pump “P” inthe pouch 20, fasteners, preferably in the form of complementary touchfastener elements 24A, 24B are placed on the garment 10 near the top ofthe pouch 20. The fastener elements 24A, 24B are sized to leave room toat least one side so that tubing from the pump “P” to an insertion setcan freely exit the pouch 20 for attachment to the back of the user. Asuitable size for the pouch is four inches (11 cm) wide and 5 inches (13cm) long.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, as an alternative to forming a pouch bystitching a patch of fabric to a garment, a garment 30 is supplied witha preformed pouch 40 having front and rear walls 42, 44 that is thensewn into or otherwise applied to an inner face of the back side 32 ofthe garment 30.

To retain the pump “P” in the pouch 40, fasteners, preferably in theform of complementary touch fastener elements 46A, 46B are placed on thepouch 40 near the top of the pouch 40. The fastener elements 46A, 46Bare sized to leave room to at least one side so that tubing from thepump “P” to an insertion set can freely exit the pouch 40 for attachmentto the back of the user. A suitable size for the pouch is four inches(11 cm) wide and 5 inches (13 cm) long.

As an alternative to stitching, any other suitable attachment means maybe used, including fusing with a thermosoluble interfacing material, oradhesives. In addition, the pouch may be removably attached to thegarment by applying touch fasteners to the inner face of the back sideof the garment and complementary touch fasteners to the back side of thepouch. The pouch is then attached to the garment by orienting the pouchcorrectly in relation to the touch fasteners on the garment and pressingit into place. When removal of the pouch is required, it is simplypulled away from the garment 10. It can be laundered and then replacedwhen desired.

As noted above, the placement of the pouch 20 and pouch 40 is designedto prevent or reduce the risk attendant to a user, for example, aninfant or juvenile user, reaching for the pump “P” to remove it orinadvertently change a setting. The pouch 20 and pouch 40 are thereforepreferably positioned in the garments 10, 30 respectively, to residealong the spine of a wearer between about the T3 and T7 locations on thevertebral column out of sight and reach of the wearer. “T3” and “T7” areuniversally-accepted and recognized references to the 3^(rd) and 7^(th)thoracic vertebrae. This generally places the pouch 20 and pouch 40about 3 inches (8 cm) below a typical shirt collar. See FIGS. 5 and 7.

As a further alternative, a pouch may be integrally formed in a knittedgarment by knitting the pouch onto the inner face of the back side ofthe knitted garment using conventional double layer knitting techniques.

In all of the variations described above, the garment can be worn whenthe pump is not in the pouch.

An improved garment adapted for use by insulin pump users is describedabove. Various details of the invention may be changed without departingfrom the scope of the invention. Furthermore, the foregoing descriptionof the preferred embodiment of the invention and best mode forpracticing the invention are provided for the purpose of illustrationonly and not for the purpose of limitation, the invention being definedby the claims.

1. A garment adapted for use by insulin pump users, comprising: (a) Anupper body garment having an outer face, an inner face and front sideand a back side for covering the front and back torso of the wearer; (b)a pouch on the inner face of the back side of the garment and positionedin the garment to reside along the spine of a wearer between about theT3 and T7 locations on the vertebral column out of sight and reach ofthe wearer; (c) a top opening in the pouch for receiving anappropriately-sized insulin pump; and (d) complementary fastenerelements positioned on opposite sides of the top opening for closing thetop of the pouch to retain the insulin pump, the fastener elements, whenthe pouch is closed, being positioned to leave a sufficient space in thetop opening for a pump tubing system and a subcutaneous insertion set toextend outwardly from the pouch for being applied to the body of thewearer.
 2. A garment according to claim 1, wherein the fastener elementscomprise touch fasteners.
 3. A garment according to claim 1, wherein thepouch is formed by applying a patch to the inner face of the garment andattaching the patch to the garment on a bottom end and adjacent sidesthereof.
 4. A garment according to claim 1, wherein the garmentcomprises an infant or juvenile undershirt.
 5. A garment according toclaim 1, wherein the pouch is formed by knitting the pouch into theinner face of the back side of the garment.
 6. A garment according toclaim 1, wherein the pouch is four inches (11 cm) wide and 5 inches (13cm) long.
 7. A garment adapted for use by insulin pump users,comprising: (a) A shirt having an outer face, an inner face and frontside and a back side for covering the front and back torso of thewearer; (b) a pouch on the inner face of the back side of the shirtbelow a shirt collar and positioned to reside along the spine of awearer between about the T3 and T7 locations on the vertebral column outof sight and reach of the wearer, the pouch comprising a patch to theinner face of the garment and attached to the garment on a bottom endand adjacent sides thereof; (c) a top opening in the pouch for receivingan appropriately-sized insulin pump; and (d) complementary fastenerelements positioned on opposite sides of the top opening for closing thetop of the pouch to retain the insulin pump, the fastener elements, whenthe pouch is closed, being positioned to leave a sufficient space in thetop opening for a pump tubing system and a subcutaneous insertion set toextend outwardly from the pouch for being applied to the body of thewearer.
 8. A garment according to claim 7, wherein the pouch is aboutfour inches (11 cm) wide and about 5 inches (13 cm) long.
 9. A garmentaccording to claim 7, wherein the pouch is integrally formed with thegarment on the inner face of the back side thereof.
 10. A garmentaccording to claim 7, wherein the garment comprises an infant orjuvenile undershirt.